Ladies held by Spurs

West Ham United Ladies opened the FA Women's Premier League Cup group-stage with a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Monday evening.

The first half saw little goalmouth action at Ship Lane, although shortly before the break a Becky Merritt free-kick landed on the top of the crossbar and both Sam Rowland and Stacey Little saw shots pass the upright.

The deadlock was finally broken just after the hour-mark when a long ball out of the Tottenham half allowed Chloe Burr to lob Hammers goalkeeper Toni-Anne Wayne and Bianca Baptiste was able to apply the finishing touch as the ball bounced inside the home penalty area.

West Ham pushed for an equaliser and switched to a 3-5-2 formation in an attempt to control the midfield. On 75 minutes, the tactical move paid off as Stacey Little rose highest to head home Jess Barling's free-kick.

After only a few chances had been created throughout the game, the final ten minutes suddenly saw a flurry as Wayne pulled off a superb one-handed save. At theother end, Kelley Blanchflower went through on goal but her shot flew wide before a late aerial barrage into the Tottenham area saw several chances spurned and meant Julia Setford's team had to settle for a point.

The Ladies continue their League Cup group-stage campaign by travelling to Watford on Sunday 23 September. Before then, they head to Queens Park Rangers on Sunday 9 September, with kick-off at 2pm.